Begich statement on defeat of McCain 8(a) Amendment

May 13, 2011

U.S. Sen. Mark Begich today released the following statement after an amendment by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) hurting the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program was defeated during a business meeting of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, of which Begich is a member:

“This amendment cut to the heart of the purpose of the 8(a) program by prohibiting the federal government from awarding sole-source contracts over four-million dollars for services and six million dollars for buying property without going through a bunch of bureaucratic red tape that would simply slow down and increase the costs of the contracting process. It would also set up different rules for the Department of Homeland Security than any other government agency which would create more confusion for contracting officers and businesses.

“Senator McCain is among a handful of members continuing to attack the 8(a) program which brings economic opportunity and creates jobs for Alaska Native Corporations, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Indian tribal entities who participate in the program. If Senator McCain is concerned about the impact of this program for tribal members he should sit down with a group, and I invite him to come to Alaska to see the benefits firsthand.

“I will continue my efforts to beat back these attacks and to educate my colleagues about the benefits of the 8(a) program.”